Wanted Five Good Men or Women

No, I am not recruiting for Qualicum Beach's entry into a new basketball league. Rather, I am putting out a plea for persons interested in running for town council. I know the next election is not until 2026, however there is nothing wrong with planning for the future.

The operations of a municipality, even one the size of Qualicum Beach, are complex. They are more complicated than those of a small or medium sized business. How many businesses do you know that have airports, swimming pools, and miles of roads, sewers and watermains? While council relies on the expertise of town staff for advice, council members need more than a cursory knowledge of what it takes to run the town. They need to have sufficient confidence and knowledge to ask tough questions of staff and to provide direction to them. Critical thinking and financial acumen are key attributes. Understanding basic financial information and the ability to evaluate budgets and financial statements is essential.

Council members also need to understand that there are certain essential services that the town must provide to its residents (for example sewer, water, police and fire) and others that would be nice to provide if the budget permits, assuming there is sufficient demand for that service to justify increased taxes. Pickleball courts, skateparks and cinemas come to mind. Essentially, council members need to know that revenues are limited and accordingly expenses must also be limited. In that vein also, council members need to be aware of those issues that are within their purview and those that are the responsibility of senior levels of government. Council members must be aware of special interest groups and learn to say no at the outset if a project is not a benefit to the town as a whole or is simply too expensive. No one benefits from a project that comes up at council meeting regularly without any chance of success.

Being a councillor is not an easy job and it is not for everyone. The time commitment is substantial. Each council meeting alone will consume two to three hours of your life, without taking into consideration preparation time and other ancillary meetings.

Expect to be cornered at the vegetable section of Quality Foods by a citizen with another great project for the town. Expect to be criticized for passing a bylaw that does not please everyone in town. Do not expect to get patted on the back for a job well done.

Qualicum Beach needs councillors who can make hard decisions, who understand finance, who are not afraid to ask tough questions of staff, who can stay in their own lane, and who can set aside pet projects that benefit a few for those that benefit all.

Still interested? Please, think about it. The next election will be here sooner than you think.

J Noel

September 27 2024

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